The company behind the smash hit “Pokémon Go” added
Starbucks Corp.
SBUX -1.02%
to its growing list of corporate partners as it looks for new ways to drive spending inside the mobile game.

More than 7,800 Starbucks locations in the U.S. over the next 12 weeks will be turned into PokéStops or Gyms, where gamers can collect free in-game items or engage in battles. The coffee retailer also will sell a new “Pokémon Go” branded beverage.

“Pokémon Go” has been downloaded by more than 600 million people world-wide as of last month. When the game first launched in July, small businesses, public libraries and others spent money on in-game items that can lure Pokémon to specific locations to attract visitors. By teaming with large companies, Niantic hopes to reignite that buzz.

From the Archives

The Pokémon franchise has expanded since its characters first appeared in Nintendo’s videogames in 1996. Now, hopes are high for further growth after the initial success of the mobile game Pokémon Go. Photo: Miho Inada/The Wall Street Journal (Original published Sept. 20, 2016)

Starbucks is a natural fit for Niantic, which has pursued deals with companies that have large retail-store footprints. The tie-up, announced Thursday, comes a day after the game’s creator, Niantic Inc., unveiled one with
Sprint Corp.
in the U.S. Earlier this year, Niantic struck its first corporate deal with the Japanese unit of
McDonald’s Corp.

Such collaborations will be limited in the future to avoid cluttering the game, Niantic Chief Executive
John Hanke
said after the Sprint deal was announced. “Don’t expect to see a lot of these types of partnerships from us,” he said.

Financial terms of the Starbucks and Sprint deals weren’t disclosed.

Like most smartphone games today, “Pokémon Go” is free to play but encourages users to spend money on digital perks. The game has generated more than $800 million in revenue, according to industry tracker SuperData Research Inc.

Niantic, which developed the game with
Nintendo Co.
partner Pokémon Co., has been steadily adding features to the game to keep players engaged. It currently includes about 150 Pokémon creatures out of a universe of more than 700. New ones will be added Dec. 12.